Beijingers Emotionally Buy Their Way to Success According to Surveys

By now, you've probably caught wind of Chinese internet-slang terms like tuhao, one of the latest ways to label certain, ahem, not-so-brainy portions of Chinese society who have come into wealth. Now there's another assessment about China's money-making market going around – Ipsos, a global research firm, recently conducted a survey that revealed 71 percent of Chinese people "gauge their success by the things they own," according to a report on Quartz. That, according to this particular questionaire, makes China the most materialistic country in the world.

RELATED: China Happiness Survey: Are the Results Worth a Smile?

To give you an idea of where the rest of the globe stands, here's a breakdown. Note that developing countries hover at the top:

So if success is gauged by the items owned, then what do people actually buy? Another recent survey that assessed Chinese consumer behavior revealed that people in first-tier cities like Beijing prefer to purchase items by brands they can emotionally connect with, while those in second tier cities choose brands "that cater to their sense of self, status, and wealth," according to the Jing Daily.

"Tier 3 consumers search for brands that can match their sense of identity as well as social and economic status, while tier 4 consumers were most concerned with the “physical benefits of the purchase,” and “responded well” toward lesser-known luxury brands," Jing Daily reported.

The first-tier city results might explain campaigns like this "Hot Mom" China-centric ad by a luxury designer that makes what Bloomberg implied to be some not-so-sexy handbags. If there's no emotional connection, why not create one?

Do you feel these results accurately depict what you've seen of Beijing's wealthy? Leave a comment below.

Email: j.rapp@thebeijinger.com
Instagram: @jrapppp

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Photo: Dean_Groom on Flickr